Page 67 - World of Animals - Issue #39

SAVING

ORANGUTANS

Brought to fame by The
Jungle Book, the enigmatic

orangutan is more like you
than you may realise, and

this critically endangered
species desperately needs

your help…

Words Ella Carter
The orangutan is Asia’s only great ape, and they are
restricted to two distinct areas: Borneo and Sumatra. Their
geographical separation also separates the two species –
the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan.
Characterised by their shaggy, dark-orange hair,
orangutans are the largest tree-living mammals in the
world. They roam the rainforests foraging for fruit as well
as honey, bark and insects. These apes are a brainy bunch,
and can easily remember where hundreds of their favourite
fruits are found at different times of year in various forest

locations. Their long, dextrous fingers make feeding and

foraging easy, and as well as four long fingers with an
opposable thumb, they also have four long toes plus an
opposable big toe. This helps to grip onto bark while easily
making their way through the trees. ORANGUTAN
In the Malay language, ‘orang’ means person and ‘hutan’ Pongo sp.
means forest, which couldn’t be a better description of Class Mammalia
these enigmatic primates. They are an essential keystone
species, meaning that when the orangutans disappear, so
do countless other rainforest species.
And unfortunately, disappearing is what orangutans Territory Rainforests of
are doing at an alarming rate. Of the populations of these Sumatra and Borneo
Diet Mostly fruit
apes in 1900, just seven per cent of Bornean and 14 per Lifespan 30-40 years
cent of Sumatran orangutans survived the 20th Century. Adult weight Up to 90kg
Worse still, this year saw the IUCN Red List of Endangered (200lb)
Conservation Status
Species assess and re-classify the Bornean orangutan
species alongside its Sumatran cousin as ‘Critically
Endangered’. Without help, this species of orangutan now CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
face an 'extremely high risk of extinction in the wild'.

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